GOBLIN – La Via Della Droga – Soundtrack

On April 16th, for Record store day, the Cinevox label issued, for the first time on Vinyl, Goblin’s score to Italian director Enzo Castellari’s 1977 Poliziottescho (the Italian crime film), La Via Della Droga (The Heroin Busters) in a 34 cuts edition carrying tracks never before released (the existing CD carried only 13 tracks mixed within longer cues). The tracks sequence of the LP follow the movie edit.

La Via Della Droga stars Fabio Testi and David Hemmings. It tells the story of an undercover cop who teams up with a hot-tempered Interpol agent against an international heroin smuggling ring.

It was the fourth of Castellari’s Polizzioteschi. The three previous instalments being (wonderfully) scored by funky brothers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis who were the king of the genre with composer Franco Micalizzi. This time the director opted to work with Goblin who, by 1977, were at the Height of their career with Dario Argento’s seminal horror flicks Profondo Rosso (Deep Red, 1975) and Suspiria (1977) to their credits. The group, with its Argento collaboration, had just changed the way horror soundtrack were to be considered and became an instant success. The Goblin lineup (who would soon change) was still (almost) intact (with Simonetti, Morante, Pignatelli and Marangolo).

Not as praised as Profondo Rosso or Suspiria, La Via Della Droga is the most Rock oriented of Goblin’s soundtrack releases and it contains, nonetheless, their usual catchy bass lines, cool synth work with tracks including recurring main themes going for more straight forward funky groove often dominated by the guitars. It is strong on its own terms and a great OST that differs from their previous and later works. An essential pick either for fans of the group, of the genre (as it displays the usual coolness of such enterprises) or even soundtrack fans.